Electric supply means for a travelling tapping



Match 9, 1965 I J. M. HOLLANDER 3,172,511

I ELECTRIC SUPPLY MEANS F OR A TRAVELLING TAPPING Filed Jan. 17, 1963 United States Patent 3,172,511 ELECTRIC SUPPLY MEANS FOR A TRAVELLING TAPPING John Michael Hollander, Kenilworth, England, assignor to E.M.S. Electrical Products Limited, Keniiworth,

England Filed Jan. 17, 1963, Ser. No. 252,167 4 Claims. (Cl. 191-23) The invention relates to an electric supply means for a travelling tapping such, for example, as for an overhead gantry-type crane or a hoist for conveying a load from one position to another in a Work shop, and its object is to provide such an electric supply means in which the conductor for supplying the travelling tapping will be safely insulated and enable the travelling tapping to be effective while taking a tortuous course.

According to the invention an electric supply means for a travelling tapping includes a conductor formed from thin strip to have a symmetrical, substantially S-shaped cross-section with the edge regions of the S substantially parallel to each other and providing respective clearances at different levels from an opposed intermediate portion, an insulating sheath of channel cross-section which has interior ridges respectively extending into the said clearances to provide ledges respectively abutted in opposite directions by the respective edge regions whereby to locate the conductor with one rounded side edge inwardly of the lips of the sheath, and the sheath having exterior side walls' which converge towards its lips such that the sheath can be located between a pair of similarly convergent cheeks of a hanger. By constructing the conductor to be of S-shaped cross-section it is capable of being bent laterally without material distortion so that it can be led round a corner, either within a previously bent insulating sheath of rigid material or within a sheath of insulating material which is itself capable of being so bent. The hangers are adapted to support the conductor and sheath such that the said one rounded side edge of the conductor is readily accessible to a current collector traveling between the lips of the sheath.

According to a feature of the invention the centre stroke of the S is at right-angles to a median plane passing through the curved side edges of the conductor. Such cross-sectional configuration enables the conductor to be curved laterally at a convenient radius without involving undesirable distortion.

According to a still further feature there is combined with the said electric supply means, a hanger formed from sheet metal to be of channel cross-section, the inner portion of the channel having parallel side walls terminating in oppositely outwardly-directed shoulders, and the outer portion of the channel having side walls extending from the outer ends of the shoulders to form the convergent checks, the hanger being adapted to be secured by the bottom wall of the channel to a support, the shoulders serving to locate the sheath between the convergent cheeks, and the parallel side walls of the inner portion of the channel being adapted to be interconnected by means for urging the convergent cheeks towards each other whereby to enable them to exert a gripping pressure on the sheath between them.

One embodiment of the invention is illustrated by the drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of a broken-off portion of one form of the conductor and sheath, showing one hanger in position;

FIGURE 2 is a cross-section on the line 2-2 of FIG- URE 1;

FIGURE 3 shows how adjacent lengths of conductor and sheath can be interconnected;

FIGURE 4 is a section on the line 44 of FIGURE 3;

ice

FIGURE 5 is a side elevation showing how electric power is fed to the conductor, and

FIGURE 6 is a section on the line 6-6 of FIGURE 5.

Referring first to FIGURES 1 and 2 the conductor 10 is substantially of S cross-section with the middle stroke of the S at right-angles to the median plane of its rounded ends. The insulating sheath 11 is of channel-shaped and has the exterior of its side walls converging towards an open end, indicated at 11a. The lips 12, 13 of the edge regions of the conductor are respectively spaced at different levels from opposed portions 14 and 15, and the sheath is interiorily provided with ridges 16 and 17 which closely engage in these clearance spaces and locate the conductor with its open, lower, rounded edge 18 spaced inwardly of the lips 19, 20 which define the open side 11a of the sheath. The latter, which holds the conductor firmly located, is preferably made of a resilient material.

At suitable intervals along its length the sheath 11 is gripped between the cheeks 21, 22 of a resilient, sheet metal hanger of channel section. The inner end of the channel-section hanger is of rectangular cross-section, having its side walls 23, 24 connected to the cheeks 21, 22 by respective shoulders 25, 26 which form abutments for the closed inner end 27 of the sheath. The closed inner end of the hanger is provided with a hole in which is suitably located a screw-threaded stem 28 for attachment to a support (not shown), and this extension is encased in an insulaing body 29 bearing at 30 on the top of the hanger. The side walls 23 and 24 of the hanger are provided with opposed openings 31 for apinch-bolt to urge the cheeks 21, 22 into firm gripping relationship with the sheath.

When successive lengths of the conductor and sheath are to be joined together, this can be done in the manner shown in FIGURES 3 and 4. For this purpose the ends of the sheaths are cut back so that the respective conductors 10 extend beyond their ends, and the inner rounded side edge of the conductor is clamped between twoprofiled conductive bars 33 and 34 by a pair of screws 35 which pass through the conductors. The strip 33 has an upper portion which is concavely curved to receive the curved exterior of the inner side edge of the conductor, and it has "a downward lateral extension 33a terminating in a bead 3312 which is curved to fit into the concave curve of the outer side edge of the conductor. The bar 34, which has screw-threaded holes to receive the screws 35, is concavely curved closely to engage within the concave curve of the inner side edge of the conductor.

The gap thus created between the adjacent lengths of sheath 11 is closed by an insulating shroud 36 which overlaps the said adjacent ends of the two sheaths 11, and the inner surfaces of the side walls of the shroud converge to the open side of the latter at the same included angle as that between the exteriors of the sides of the sheath 11. In this way the latter is held firmly within the shroud 36. Additionally, the shroud is recessed at 37 at each end so that its lips 38 abut the adjacent ends of the sheath 11 at opposite sides of the gap.

Electric power is conveniently fed to the conductor where a joint between adjacent lengths is made. Thus, as shown in FIGURES 5 and 6, a supply cable 39 has a flat terminal 40 which is conductively secured by a screw 41 to a conductive plate 42 which is provided in its upper face with recesses for the heads of the screws 35. An insulating cover 43 is formed with convergent lips 44 to engage over the shroud 36 for insulating the connection.

Where the piece of apparatus, for example, a gantrytype crane or a hoist, runs along overhead rails the supply means of the invention can either be supported from the rails or from a support for the latter so that a collector on the said apparatus can extend between the lips 19, 20 of the shroud into conductive relationship with the conductor 10 for supplying electric current to the said piece of apparatus.

It will be seen that where the rails curve laterally, the conductor and sheath may be similarly curved without the risk of buckling the conductor provided, of course, that the curvature is not too sharp.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. An electric supply means, for a travelling tapping, comprising a conductor, and an insulating sheath, said conductor formed from strip which is thin as compared with its width, said conductor shaped to have a substantially S-shaped cross-section with the edges of the strip at the ends of the S cross-section substantially parallel to each other and having respective clearances from opposed intermediate portions of the strip, said sheath being of channel cross-section and having its side walls formed with interior ridges, said ridges being at diiterent levels and extending respectively into said clearances to provide ledges respectively abutted in opposite directions by the edges of the strip whereby to locate the conductor with one rounded end of the S abutted with the bottom of the channel of the sheath and with the other rounded end of the 8 located inwardly of the mouth of the channel of said sheath, and said sheath having exterior side walls which converge in the direction from the bottom of the channel of said sheath towards its mouth such that said sheath can be located between a pair of similarly convergent checks of a hanger.

2. An electirc supply means according to claim 1 in which the centre stroke of the S is at right-angles to a median plane passing through the curved side edges of the conductor.

3. An electric supply means for a travelling tapping comprising a conductor, an insulating sheath, and a hanger, said conductor formed from strip which is thin as compared with its width, said conductor shaped to have a substantially S-shaped cross-section with the edges of the strip at the ends of the S cross-section substantially parallel to each other and having respective clearances from opposed intermediate portions of the strip, said sheath being of channel cross-section and having its side walls formed with interior ridges, said ridges being at different levels and extending respectively into said clearances to provide ledges respectively abutted in opposite directions by the edges of the strip whereby to locate the conductor with one rounded end of the S abutted with the bottom of the channel of the sheath and with the other rounded end of the 8 located inwardly of the mouth of the channel of said sheath, said sheath having exterior side walls which converge in the direction from the bot-' tom of the channel of said sheath towards its month, said hanger having a pair of checks which converge towards each other at the same angle as that included by the exterior side walls of said sheath and embrace the latter.

4. An electric supply means according to claim 3 in which the hanger is formed from sheet metal to be of channel cross-section, the inner portion of the channel having parallel side Walls terminating in oppositely outwardly-directed shoulders, and the outer portion of the channel having side Walls extending from the outer ends of the shoulders to form the convergent cheeks, the hanger being adapted to be secured by the bottom wall of the channel to a support, the shoulders serving as abutments for the sheath and to locate the same between the convergent cheeks, and the parallel side walls of the inner portion of the channel being adapted to be interconnected by means for urging the convergent cheeks towards each other whereby to enable them to exert a gripping pressure on the sheath between them.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,158,004 5/39 Douglas. 2,640,114 5/53 Wehr 191-23 2,734,933 2/56 Klosin.

2,835,752 5/58 Anjeskey et al. 19123 2,991,336 7/61 Shaw 191-23 FOREIGN PATENTS 616,093 3/61 Canada. 885,765 12/61 Great Britain.

EUGENE G. BOTZ, Primary Examiner.

JAMES S. SHANK, LEO QUACKENBUSH, Examiners. 

1. AN ELECTRIC SUPPLY MEANS, FOR A TRAVELLING TAPPING, COMPRISING A CONDUCTOR, AND AN INSULATING SHEATH, SAID CONDUCTOR FORMED FROM STRIP WHICH IS THIN AS COMPARED WITH ITS WIDTH, SAID CONDUCTOR SHAPED TO HAVE A SUBSTANTIALLY S-SHAPED CROSS-SECTION WITH THE EDGES OF THE STRIP AT THE ENDS OF THE S CROSS-SECTION SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO EACH OTHER AND HAVING RESPECTIVE CLEARANCES FROM OPPOSED INTERMEDIATE PORTIONS OF THE STRIP, SAID SHEATH BEING OF CHANNEL CROSS-SECTION AND HAVING ITS SIDE WALLS FORMED WITH INTERIOR RIDGES, SAID RIDGES BEING AT DIFFERENT LEVELS AND EXTENDING RESPECTIVELY INTO SAID CLEARANCES TO PROVIDE LEDGES RESPECTIVE ABUTTED IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS BY THE EDGES OF THE STRIP WHEREBY TO LOCATE THE CONDUCTOR WITH ONE ROUNDED END OF THE S ABUTTED WITH THE BOTTOM OF THE CHANNEL OF THE SHEATH AND WITH THE OTHER ROUNDED END OF THE S LOCATED INWARDLY OF THE MOTH OF THE CHANNEL OF SAID SHEATH, AND SAID SHEATH HAVING EXTERIOR SIDE WALLS WHICH CONVERGE IN THE DIRECTION FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE CHANNEL OF SAID SHEATH TOWARDS ITS MOUTH SUCH THAT SAID SHEATH CAN BE LOCATED BETWEEN A PAIR OF SIMILARLY CONVERGENT CHEEKS OF A HANGER. 